Japan may be the third-largest economy in the world, but its percentage of female legislators ranks only 121st among 186 countries, according to a white paper on gender equality approved by the Cabinet recently.

Female legislators comprised 11.3 percent of all legislators in Japan's Lower House after the 2009 elections. That compares to 45 percent in Sweden and 32.8 percent in Germany. The United States had 16.8 percent female legislators while China had 21.3 percent. Even South Korea bests Japan at 14.7 percent.

Whatever else it has done, Japan's relative level of economic comfort and prosperity has not led to gender equality.